Afsana
A distant desert civilization far from New Tottenham. The Empire of Afsana is equal parts exotic tourist attraction and dangerous hub for outlaws and thieves. Made up of several smaller floating islands of Tier’s precious bounty of marble, sandstone, and gold, and connected only by personal and public transport skiffs, it was and continues to be a true testament to beauty of ingenuity purchased with dark integrity. Built on the broken backs of countless slaves, the vast, gold-plated world only serves as a precious mask to the tragic brutality of the always spinning gears within. Bounties of otherworldly sorts. Travelers come from all parts of the globe to walk within the fabled city of wondrous stories and legends of times long past. To experience a once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit the great golden bazaar and indulge in all the exotic coffees and spices this strange desert gem has to offer. Temptation runs high and addiction runs wild. Many come, some never leave…and not all by choice. Geography Twelve small islands make up the entirety of the desert empire. Some are more well-known and well-traveled than others, while quite a few are better avoided by tourists and locals alike. (More to come.) The closer you get to the center of the Empire, the more spectacular and rich it becomes. The outer islands hold a more lawless edge, and visitors are more at risk of being relieved of their possessions or even life. I S M A D ' S H I Also known as the Golden Citadel. The Desert Gem is the centerpiece all other islands revolve around. Home not only to the great bazaar, marketplace of exotic goods both foreign and local, but also the palace of the great elusive Sultan himself. While walked upon by many tourists and merchants, only the most wealthy and powerful call this island home. Thieves beware: as tempting as the Golden Citadel may be to plunder, it is the best guarded place in all of the empire. 'Shantii' The Lost Island Once a place of worship for great gods of old and even greater legends, it now serves as a grave entered by none who value their lives. Long since fallen from the sky due to unforeseen acts of terrorism by the elusive Akillii, it now rests admist the dunes on the surface. Now, clouded in strange, noxious gas, the once populated city houses only corpses and a recently discovered nest of the feared and venomous Vashkii Wasps. Today, it stands as a grim reminder of treasures lurking out of reach, and just how destructive man can be. 'The Obsidian City' Also known as the Obsidian Pit. While not quite an island, this city serves as the most clear-cut example of empire’s double-sided nature. A well-meaning attempt to repopulate and eventually fully retake the surface, this underground fortress is a still-in-progress construction decades in the making. Planned to be the great city of tomorrow, it is currently the home and slum of the lowest caste of Obsidian slaves. Night and day they toil under watchful gunpoint to make this true pit of hell miles deep: the greatest city man has ever known. Filled with smoke from constantly grinding machines and layered with the bodies of dead slaves, life in the pit is often as harsh—if not harsher—than the bug-infested Surface above it. It is the empire’s sole reason for a continuing the controversial slave trade, and a supplier of fortune for the feared slavers above. The pit devours dozens of new bodies a day, and with the high death rate from bugs, violence, sickness, and a mysterious parasite-inflicted madness, the pit always hungers for more and the pirates above are always willing to oblige. 'Flora & Fauna' Snakes are as common to the Afsana as rats are to New Tottenham. Plaguing the heated sewers and abandoned buildings, they come in all varieties, shapes and sizes. Unlike rats, some of these vermin pack venom that would send the hardiest warrior into the grave in a matter of seconds. Demographics Dark hair and dark eyes are common. Brown or heavily tanned skin is common, while black falls to realm of rare but not unheard of. (Earthly equivalent: Middle Eastern/North African.) 'Xes' With the culture’s unusual affinity for snakes, it was only natural that one of the few widespread genetic surges was based on that slithery reptile. Seen with scales of various colors and fangs that contain toxins based on the breed of snake they were spliced with, this species is common throughout the sky and in the pit below. Particularly useful on the noxious surface and in the underground alike, the snake X has an abnormal immunity and limb regenerative qualities that make them invaluable surface workers and soldiers under the Sultan’s banner. Their many strengths come with a key and critical price. They cannot survive in colder weather and have to wear heated clothing in the most frigid areas. This results in much of the sky being off-limits to the unsheltered Snake X. 'Revenants' Necromancy is illegal in the sky and revenants who are found are promptly shipped to the pit as obsidian slaves. The Surface, however, is a much more forgiving place for the art, as the overseers view the workers as a wonderful tool to get even more out of a single life. 'Languages' In addition to the many stories told around the globe, housing the bazaar often entices many guests from other islands to travel to the empire. This often times makes it necessary to those of the sky caste to learn a multitude of languages beyond their own native Istillic tongue. Those languages often include but are not limited to the nearby Kirishan, the enterprising Camorrian and the mostly defunct Wakiyan. 'Religion' While many citizens of the empire generally look to tales and their morals as principles to live by, many are shrouded in the ancient beliefs of the past. Based on an old polytheistic religion, the gods and goddess’s are many and very the base for many current modern tales. The most common influence of the ancient desert religion falls to the controversial caste system. 'Notable Gods & Goddesses' *Unnamed many-armed and many-eyed goddess who represented both creation and doom. *Goddess of Tales 'Caste System' While the great disaster may have burned away their desert-wide cities of old, some things are not so easily discarded. The caste system is an oftentimes cruel way of life that the citizens of the empire live by. Said to be marked on the souls of every individual by the gods, castes are given at birth with very little room to rise above. While interludes individuals of different castes are discouraged, they are not unheard of. If a child is born to parents of different castes, they inherit the status of the one who ranks lower. The institution stems from a nearly defunct religious belief that one who serves their duty willingly and properly will be born again into a higher caste, until they one day become a god. Whether born to gold and riches or born a slaves banished to live their days in the obsidian pit, it matters not. Once you’re set into your place at birth, one can find it all but impossible to leave. Despite this, the caste system is a hot button topic in the quickly progressing city. This issue is far from clean-cut, often discovered at the core of recent violence and the purpose for many promptly squashed revolutions. Still, even with the constant and murderous efforts to destroy it, the system remain as steadfast as the towering architecture of the city itself. 'The Legend Caste' The only caste one cannot be born into. This caste is the highest one who is not the Sultan can achieve. Forged through stories spoken on the lips of the Afsanian people, be it through war, notoriety, or fame, these people have become living legends in the city’s society and are talked about in tales and songs. This caste has every and any right unless otherwise specified by the Sultan. 'The Golden Caste' The golden caste are the giants and rich of society. Powerful and influential, those who count themselves amongst the golden caste own property, slaves and more often than not run businesses. They are generals and leaders whose say only falters beneath the will of legends and the sultan him/herself. 'The Sky Caste' Merchants and slavers. The sky caste makes up the majority of those who live within the inner islands and are the lowest caste with the ability to own property, slaves, and ship. They are also the lowest caste to choose to serve as a soldier (unless the sultan specifics otherwise), but unlike the golden caste, cannot lead. 'The Iron Caste' Grunts and guards. When not serving in war, the iron caste are often working and enforcing for those of higher castes. They cannot own land or slaves themselves, but they do get a fair wage and have run of much of the city. 'The Ashen Caste' Cleaners and boiler workers. Often black from the soot and blistered from the heat, this caste comprises much of the population in the outer and dangerous islands, as well as serving as the gears that run the great machines and chimney sweepers of the inner islands. Said to be reincarnated from slaves and thus given the dirtiest of the jobs, they are the lowest caste that receives a wage and can serve in the military….mainly as Surface sweepers or obsidian guards. Their death rate is predictably high. 'The Bowed Caste' The highest of the slave castes. These are the house slaves who serve as public servants or personal caretakers to slave owners. Well-groomed and fited with a golden bracelet burned on their wrist, they are found in many markets across the city being sold to the highest bidder. 'The Obsidian Caste' The lowest of the low. They are the unseen who work the pits bellow. They are not sold, but rather property of the empire as a whole, destined to live and die in the holes of the city they toil upon day in and day out. Branded with an iron bracelet, most never live to see the sun. Government & Politics The Empire of Afsana is ruled by one man or woman who claims the title of Sultan. Seen as a living god and a legend of amongst legends, he or she is the be all, end all. The judge, the rule-maker and the commander of the islands’ forces. No one in the empire is more feared, respected or powerful than the sole ruler of the City of Tales. Future sultans are always selected by the former with the exception that they die before having chosen. In that case, one of the legend caste rises to his or her ranks. 'Current Sultan' Enigmatic and cryptic. While his reach and control over the city are absolute and ever-present, the man is hardly ever seen, himself. There are many rumors circulating as to why he remains in the shadows, but many claim that he is not one but many people. Others say he is not a man at all, but a machine that had gained control of the island itself. While no source remains reliable, one thing is certain: his uncanny knowledge of anything and everything happening on or around the eleven still-floating islands. His eyes are everywhere, and see everything. 'The Hand' Said to be the living fingers from the severed hand of the Goddess of Tales herself. These five living legends are handpicked by the Sultan to serve in all manner of duties, from leading massive armies to spying behind enemy lines. These five men and women have long since proven their worth and are both nearly as feared and respected as the Sultan himself. These five agents are currently the only living souls who have seen the Sultan face to face. (Not to be confused with the Hand of Grace!) 'The Slavers' While not officially affiliated with the empire, nor a true group, they are nonetheless an integral gear in the empire’s machine. These enterprising raiders and pirates ride spiked ships and raid any and every nook and cranny of Tier for living bodies to sell to the empire. Feared and hated throughout the far regions of Tier, they are often considered the bogeymen of the sky by the superstitious and appear in thousands of horrifying tales. Families separated…children taken. Economy Backed by many miles’ worth of underground tunnels reaching well below the acid-drenched Surface, the precious empire-marked gems known as Ovahz are worth their weight in gold… literally. Floating directly above an endless bounty manned by thousands of nameless slaves, The citadel of gold does not get its name from the way the sun reflects off the sandstone buildings, but from the sheer amount of wealth plating everything the eye can see. Shimmering on the walls, donned in the form of exotic jewelry on its wealthy citizens, and carved into towering works of art, wealth is flaunted proudly in the name of the empire, which holds enough precious metals and exotic stones behind its name alone to make a sane man mad and a peaceful civilian go to war. All of it stems from the empire’s most controversial project. The mines of the Obsidian Pit fuel the ships of war and supply the tremendous amount of energy needed to keep its many islands afloat. Its depths are a source of valued trade for virtually all other civilizations on tier and despite the conflicts and war it often causes, it gives the Empire more than enough fuel to keep its teeth sharp and its stockades full. 'Major Exports' If the exotic spices or famous desert-ground coffee beans are not enough to fulfill one’s needs, the many metals and precious stones are sure to please. From iron to gold, everything that had wasted away in the post-apocalypse is found anew in the offering hands of the empire, with plenty more to come. 'Major Imports' While the wealth of the islands seem endless to the uneducated, as there is little dirt that cannot be turned by the great burrowing machines, this is sadly not the case. The cold, hard reality is that the great bounty of the soil is run by a very precious fuel. This fuel isn’t steam, gas, or fire, but blood. Slaves are the single most prized and valued import of the empire, and they always need more. Unfortunately, this tends to attract the most despicable sort of traders looking to make a quick Ovahz within the gold-laden halls of the City of Tales. Technology Afsana's ever-evolving technology is about the equivalent to that of New Tottenham. While less focused though not foreign to genetic advancement, they are much more adept at machines of both war and civil function. Always tinkering for the next big thing, the inventors under the golden city often value bigger results at the cost of great stability. 'The Sky' With dreaded “unofficial” slave raids and the hostile nature of the world around them, the Sultan’s great army bares more than a few of its fangs for all the world to see. Very much a progressive empire, Afsana values speed and power to enforce its will. With the high-speed, spike cannon-laden aerial skiffs, this aerial machine finds it has more engine and cannon then anything near what could be consider armor or comfort to its bulk. While leading to heavily unstable and often explosive defects, the system does well in serving to end things before real fights even start. 'The Ground' Giant piloted drills bore through soil and rock like submarines through water. This technology and more were quickly founded and put to use when the plan to repopulate the Surface arose. Be it bombards laden with great bronze explosives to fend off giant insects, raiders, and impenetrable rock surface alike, to cart-powered crank drill wagons to get through the miles of underground tunnels quickly and efficiently. There is little the Afsanian miners cannot reach, or in the case of revolution, twist to a much more sinister and destructive purpose. 'Engineered Plagues' When guns will not win an empire, the scientists of Afsana often find other ways around that problem. Encased in great bronze bombs to fire from their bombards, or in steam power hoses under the visages of masks, the results may vary but all end in tragedy. Morbid as it may be, fascination with the plagues that shattered the empire in ages past are not lost on the current generation. The fleshless corpses of the late Shantii know this more than most. Education With such an influence of stories and art on the culture, reading and language is crucial and taught from the iron caste up. Math and science often stem from the culture’s technologically progressive natures and lust to expand. While the Ashen and lower are usually out of luck in this department, Afsanians of higher castes are usually well-educated and at least fluent in their own native language of Istillic, if not more. Culture 'Artists and Story Tellers' “The City of Tales” is not just a fancy name to throw around to mystify visitors, but a title continuously earned by everyone from the rich and noble to the lowly slaves at their feet. The craft of the spoken word is engraved in their art, music, and culture, and the citizens hold nothing in higher value. From elaborate plays, street-side music and even the towering golden statues that litter every avenue, the art of the story is embedded in every grain of dust, built into every construction, and woven into every song. As strange as it may sound to an outside ear, practicing the art of the spoken word can be a lucrative way of life within the bustling islands. Fictional or otherwise, if you are an adventurer with a tale worth telling, you may find gold in your pockets that you didn’t have before. 'Fashion' Exotic. Veils, trinkets of gold, and cloth gowns and shirts of vibrant colors aplenty. The fashion is based on the real world Ottoman Empire mixed with steampunk values and technology. No matter where they are, most Afsanians love to flaunt their origins and often do so with a golden flash. Golden slave brands need not apply! 'Afsanian Secrecy' Be it the Big Brother-like rule of the immortal Sultan, the predilection towards dust-shielding veils, rampant thieves and revolutionaries, or simply the dramatic flair born of favored stories and legends, the average Afsanaian never seeks to reveal their hand. Be the secret large and world-changing or mundane, one can often trust a citizen of the City of Tales as often as they themselves can trust themselves can trust you. That is to say…never. Beware the hidden snake… Outlaws and Assassins 'The League of Forty' Also known as “The End,” a play on the “City of Tales.” A guild of thieves and scoundrels, cutthroats and drug dealers. Collectors of books and treasures, and defiler of legendary statues. Said to be a long-mutated and evolved tendril of the Hand of Grace, these outlaws run the dangerous sewers of Afsana right underneath the sultan’s nose. While those who brave the trials and join the seedy and violent League of Forty often do so for their own reasons, all of them oppose the Sultan and his rule in one way or another. 'The Watchers Akillii' An order of ghostlike assassins that had been plaguing the grand cities in and around Ismad'shi since long before the Afansa Empire rose to power. They even pre-date the great acid bath that forcefully pushed the nation to the skies. Based on an ancient, many-armed and many-eyed goddess who represented both creation and doom, the Watchers have been a dagger through the heart of civilizations built in and around the great wastelands of old since any of the oldest tomes or most knowledgeable scholars can recall. They have been known throughout the land for their rather dreadful habit of toppling empires and destroying “gods”… however, their methods and reasons for doing so remain as mysterious as their origins themselves. In modern times, the Empire of Afansa knows them as little more than a jagged-edged nuisance that seems to follow no rhyme or reason. While many citizens call them ghosts, the empire claims them to be nothing more than murderous hoodlums in various robes and hoods, sporting eerie glowing eyes and an odd habit of using strange devices to constantly radiate black from their form and renew their ghostlike myth, and suitable nickname “smokers”. Unfortunately, they are unable to gain anything more on them as the men and women of the Watchers who find themselves in captivity do not last long. They have an odd habit of disintegrating down to the bones, rendering devices, flesh and all little more than dust and acid stains... all they leave behind are the chalk marking of an eye half closed.